Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) member cooperatives accepted 15 offers of export assistance from CWT that helped them capture contracts to sell 1.98 million pounds (896 metric tons) of Cheddar cheese, 317,466 pounds (144 metric tons) of butter and 8.10 million pounds (3,670 metric tons) of whole milk powder. The product has been contracted for delivery in Asia, the Middle East and Oceania for the period from September 2018 through March 2019.
CWT-assisted export sales for 2018 total 48.68 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 12.96 million pounds of butter (82% milkfat) and 41.44 million pounds of whole milk powder to 34 countries on five continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.04 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. Totals have been adjusted to reflect bid cancellations.
This activity reflects CWT management implementing the strategic plan approved by the CWT Committee in March. These changes enhance the effectiveness of the program and member export opportunities.
Assisting CWT members through this export assistance program in the long term helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the U.S. farm milk that produces them. This, in turn, positively affects all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.
The amounts of dairy products and related milk volumes reflect current contracts for delivery, not completed export volumes. CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when export and delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.
